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Benjamin Franklin
Edmund S. Morgan
€ 32.41
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Description for Benjamin Franklin
Paperback. The greatest statesman of his age, Benjamin Franklin was also a pioneering scientist, a successful author, the first American postmaster general, a printer and a bon vivant. This biography offers a compact and provocative portrait of America's most extraordinary patriot. Series: Yale Nota Bene. Num Pages: 368 pages, bibliog references, index. BIC Classification: 1KBB; BGH; HBJK; HBLH. Category: (G) General (US: Trade); (P) Professional & Vocational; (U) Tertiary Education (US: College). Dimension: 196 x 124 x 24. Weight in Grams: 272.
The best short biography of Franklin ever written. -Gordon S. Wood Benjamin Franklin is perhaps the most remarkable figure in American history: the greatest statesman of his age, he played a pivotal role in the formation of the American republic. He was also a pioneering scientist, a bestselling author, the country's first postmaster general, a printer, a bon vivant, a diplomat, a ladies' man, and a moralist-and the most prominent celebrity of the eighteenth century. Franklin was, however, a man of vast contradictions, as Edmund Morgan demonstrates in this brilliant biography. A reluctant revolutionary, Franklin had desperately wished to preserve the British Empire, and he mourned the break even as he led the fight for American independence. Despite his passion for science, Franklin viewed his groundbreaking experiments as secondary to his civic duties. And although he helped to draft both the Declaration of Independence and the American Constitution, he had personally hoped that the new American government would take a different shape. Unraveling the enigma of Franklin's character, Morgan shows that he was the rare individual who consistently placed the public interest before his own desires. Written by one of our greatest historians, Benjamin Franklin offers a provocative portrait of America's most extraordinary patriot.
Product Details
Format
Paperback
Publication date
2003
Publisher
Yale University Press
Number of pages
368
Condition
New
Series
Yale Nota Bene
Number of Pages
352
Place of Publication
, United States
ISBN
9780300101621
SKU
V9780300101621
Shipping Time
Usually ships in 7 to 11 working days
Ref
99-50
About Edmund S. Morgan
Edmund S. Morgan is Sterling Professor of History Emeritus at Yale University. He has written more than a dozen books including Inventing the People: The Rise of Popular Sovereignty in England and America, which won the Bancroft Prize, and American Slavery, American Freedom, which won the Francis Parkman Prize and the Albert J. Beveridge Award. Cited as one of America's most distinguished historians, Morgan was awarded the National Humanities Medal in 2000.
Reviews for Benjamin Franklin
While several previous biographies provide fuller accounts of Franklin's life, none rivals Morgan's study for its grasp of Franklin's character, its affinity not just for his ideas, but for the way his mind worked. Joseph J. Ellis, London Review of Books Superb... The best short biography of Franklin ever written. A concise and beautifully written portrait of an American hero. Gordon Wood, New York Review of Books Entrancing... lucid and entertaining. Charles M. Carberry, USA Today In this engaging and readable book, Edmund Morgan does more than recount the colourful and gripping story of Franklin's long, action- and idea-filled life; he also skillfully dissects the man's personality and mind, his social self and political beliefs. Susan Dunn, New York Times Book Review A luminous biography. Louis P. Masur, Chicago Tribune Book Review It is difficult, perhaps impossible, to find fault with this book. Carol Berkin, New England Quartely